Chargers sign 18 free agents

The Chargers, with a history of turning undrafted free agents into solid NFL players, signed a couple Monday who could follow in the footsteps of Stephen Cooper and Kris Dielman.

Darry Beckwith, a linebacker from LSU projected by many to go as high as the third round but went undrafted, and undersized tackle Dan Gay were among the 18 players to become Chargers post-draft.

It is unclear why Beckwith, who missed parts of three seasons with knee injuries, tumbled.

“It happens,” Smith said. “There's no explanation for some of these kids. ... We had high regard for him.”

Gay, a converted defensive lineman, is 6-feet-4, 304 pounds. He has some growing and learning to do, but he started 34 straight games at Baylor – at every line position except center.

The Chargers also released former draft picks Scott Chandler and DeJuan Tribble.

Tribble, a cornerback taken in the sixth round in 2008, was inactive the first three weeks of the season and spent the duration on the practice squad. Chandler, a tight end selected in the fourth round in 2007, showed promise but spent last year on injured reserve after a preseason foot injury.

Also on Monday, while no one seems to know for sure the extent of seventh-round pick Demetrius Byrd's injuries, one Chargers official said the team would be OK if the LSU receiver did not play this year.

Like many teams, the Chargers had Byrd rated in the middle of the draft before he suffered serious injuries in an April 19 automobile accident. It is believed Byrd suffered some head injuries that kept him in intensive care for five days. He is reportedly listed in “good” condition at a Miami hospital.